I built a modified version of the Finn bench system a while back but haven't really had a chance to use it on site yet...until today. I had to go up to Flagstaff (about 2.5 hrs away) to a clients house to build and install a gate across some stairs in their cabin. I had jointed and planed all the stock before hand but that was it. All of the cutting and use of the domino was done on site. I don't have an mft and at this point I don't think I'll be getting one. I just can't justify the cost right now. These benches, while heavier and bigger than the mft do just about everything that I'd need the mft to do. They're extremely sturdy and served as a great platform for the Kapex while still giving me plenty of room to work. I didn't bring my extension wings with me but I could have and would've been able to put the Kapex at one end of the bench with one of the extension wings sticking out the other side. The clamping holes in the top made the cutting of the dominos a breeze and there was plenty of surface area available when it came time for assembly. When I'm finished the IKEA sawhorses are broken down into a package that's roughly 6" high, 20" wide and 30" in length.

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Russell Tribby

Who needs an MFT when you have that? Wonderful!

Was the gate for pets or kids?

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I don't have as many Festools as Fred

The gate is for the kids. I think they've had one too many close calls with them almost falling down the stairs so they decided to just close off the staircase.
I'd love to have an mft but these benches handle most of what I do. Besides I don't know where I'd even put an mft in my shop. My assembly table has clamping holes in the top and a track to clamp stock horizontally. It also has a surface big enough to cut my sheet stock. Is it just me or does it sound like I'm talking myself out of an mft?

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Russell Tribby

Looks like you have all the benefits of an MFT without the cost. You have the dog holes, clamping groove across the sides.

Then you have the benefits of extra length, variable width, variable height, tilting top, storage space underneath. I think you're right, who needs an MFT!

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Steve Adams, Qwas Products

Actually, it looks like you would need (at least) two MFT's to equal the capacity of your current system. Very slick.

Is that a child proof latch on the gate(s)?

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a 2009 Festool® catalog, 2010 Festool® catalog supplement requested.

"In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice. In practice there is." - Yogi Berra (1925-)

"Whether you THINK YOU CAN, or THINK YOU CAN'T, You're right!"

"When it is obvious that the goals cannot be reached, don't adjust the goals, adjust the action steps." Confucius (551-479 BCE) philosopher

What you have is something with a lot of potential and a lot of versatility, positioned between the the big heavy traditional workbench and the MFT. What you don't have yet is the ability to make easily repeatable 24" crosscuts and grooves.

I really like the idea of the torsion box/beam. I wonder if it can be supported securely enough for hand planing etc?

To get some more of the MFT capability you could make a panel that the two beams sit on and key into so they always are in the same relationship. From there you could add T track or something to mount brackets to support a Festool guide rail. Or better yet, QWAS dogs!

Sort of like this?

© Blum Tool Company - Unique Designs for Quality Tools

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a 2009 Festool® catalog, 2010 Festool® catalog supplement requested.

"In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice. In practice there is." - Yogi Berra (1925-)

"Whether you THINK YOU CAN, or THINK YOU CAN'T, You're right!"

"When it is obvious that the goals cannot be reached, don't adjust the goals, adjust the action steps." Confucius (551-479 BCE) philosopher

Russell,

That's a very nice bench! Lots of working room and portability too.

Regards,

Dan.

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"You see things; and you say, ‘Why?’ But I dream things that never were; and I say, ‘Why not?’" George Bernard Shaw

Michael, you're right that this system is not ideal for making repeatable cuts. If I did a lot of that on site then I'd make some changes. I may use your suggestion and make something that lines the benches up so that they are in the same relationship. I'm sure I could come up with something relatively light in weight and portable.
These benches handle planing with ease. I was going to make some bases to put on top of the sawhorses so that it would make it easier to clamp the benches to them but there's no need. They are rock solid as is. I've done some hand planing with these in the past and they don't even think about budging.

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Russell Tribby

Thanks Ron. The latch and the hinges are just gate hardware that I bought at HD, nothing fancy.

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Russell Tribby